Online as 2nd Income?

[Smaegol]

I feel kinda weird asking this, like I am just asking to get flamed.. but I do have a serious question.

Can a 2nd income be made playing online poker? I make about 45k a year (I work in the casino business)and over the last 2 weeks I tried this poker thing as a serious side business. Im playing strictly 2/4 and started with a $200 bankroll and Im a very experienced Hold'em player. I havent been able to play as much as Ive wanted, maybe 15-20 hours total, and Ive built it to $600. There have been ups and downs, and I realize its a small cross-section of time, but like I said, Im a +ev player and very experienced. So my question is, is it possible to turn this into a 2nd income? Are any of you out there sucessfull in doing this?

[Lori]

Are any of you out there sucessfull in doing this?

I might be missing something here about what you mean, many people on these forums are playing online poker as their only income so I assume playing it as a second income would be just as viable.

Lori

[Smaegol]

Ok, thats good to hear, because I almost felt like an idiot for bringing up the topic. I Don't know if I could use poker as a strict and only income (Too much pressure, I think the enjoyment would be lost.. I think?) But I am seriously going to start looking at it as an opportunity to make some nice side cash.

Now let me ask this: I play at Party. Are the 3/6 much tougher then 2/4? is the 5/10 much tougher then 3/6?
Or am I at a good limit to make consistent money on that site?

[scotnt73]

i would say your bankroll was a little small for the variance of 2/4 but hell youve done great so far with just 200$ so keep up the great play!

[ElSapo]

I play at Party. Are the 3/6 much tougher then 2/4? is the 5/10 much tougher then 3/6?

In my opinion, because of the blind structure and the players (for some reason), 2/4 is the easiest, then 5/10, and 3/6 plays the most agressive. 5/10 is probably a bit tighter than 3/6, but not as agressive. Others may disagree, and it's probably close -- except I think 2/4 is by far the easiest limit.

[Paluka]

I don't mean to sound like a jerk here, but I think it is a little odd that you seem 100% confident that you are an "experienced" and "+ev" player but you are asking if you can make a second income playing online poker. If you really are 100% to be +ev, how could you not do it? I find it hard to believe that someone who would post this question is really an experienced winning poker player. I'm not just trying to flame you here, I'm telling you to be careful. Overconfidence is dangerous.

[Smaegol]

Because Ive always looked at poker as a recreational thing for me. This is the first time Ive actually stuck my neck out and said "Im going to do this as a part-time job". For some reason, that seems weird to me.. I dunno. Its something I would never consider if I didn't think I could make good money at it. I guess I just need to hear other success stories to convince myself.

[Stew]

I play online poker recreationally, but it has turned into basically a second income. My goal each month is to earn enough for my son's daycare payments. My wife and I both work during the day. I only play when he is asleep or not here (with wife, the in-laws, etc). Additionally, I only play limits up to $1/2 sit and goes ($5 or $10) and multi table tourneys (although this is the biggest detractor from my income). My son's daycare is $700 per month and that's about what I average in profit with a bankroll of about 1K.

[tiltboy]

You've made between 5 - 6.7 BBs/hour for your 15-20 hours. Is that on multiple tables? Short-handed? If you've done that one 1 full table I'd say your odds of continuing that kind of win rate over an extended period, even at Party, are very slim. The phrase "return to the mean" seems appropriate here.

[squiffy]

Over 4 months or so I have made about $2500 in poker, BlackJack, and live play. Of that only about $150 has been live. About $500 Blackjack, and the rest poker. Much of the online income has come from bonuses. I am not a very good poker player and typically play .50-$1 on party. But it sounds like you can definitely earn a nice side income if you are willing to read, study, and practice -- and think deeply about why you are having winning and losing sessions. If you can improve your game and continue to win steadily, it seems clear that there are enough low-limit fish and bonuses out there to really provide you with a nice boost.

You should consider chasing some BJ bonuses. If you don't mind some boredom, and mechanically following optimal strategy, it's actually easier money than poker. Just do a search for BlackJack here. I found out about it through this site and have been really pleased with the easy money.

It's not a lot of money, but hey, it's nice to get paid for having some online fun.